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After the Golden Trio's moment of camaraderie came to an end, we inevitably returned to the problem that still hovered over us: what to do with the thousand-Galleon we had won in the Triwizard Tournament.
"And now?" Fleur asked, slightly furrowing her brow. Her beautiful face showed confusion. "None of us wants the money, and we've already agreed that giving it back to Fudge is out of the question. So what do we do with it?"
Her simple question plunged the group into reflective silence once more.
This time, however, it became clear that we had no good answer.
Of course, there was still the option of simply throwing the money away. Or we could give it to another friend, an acquaintance, or even someone random.
But we all knew those were neither good nor viable options.
We knew our friends, and the chances of them refusing the money — just like we had — were high.
As for handing it to a stranger... well, we weren't that altruistic. At least not toward people we didn't know.
'Hmm... actually, that gives me quite an interesting idea,' I thought, a calculating glint flashing in my eyes.
With the idea growing stronger in my mind, I wasted no time and immediately turned to the others.
"Guys, I think I already know what we can do with this money," I said, drawing their attention to me.
Before they could ask anything, I continued:
"We have all this money in our hands, right? So I was thinking: how about we do a good deed with it, like... donate the thousand Galleons to charity?"
"Donate it?"
"Charity?"
Upon hearing my suggestion, they exchanged somewhat surprised looks.
However, that surprise didn't come because my idea was brilliant or extraordinary — but because it was almost too simple.
So simple that they felt slightly embarrassed for not having thought of it themselves.
"I think that's a very good idea, Ethan," Luna was the first to respond, smiling softly at me.
As a cheerful and thoughtful girl, she wholeheartedly approved of it.
I smiled back at her.
"That's actually an excellent idea," Hermione agreed, scratching her chin thoughtfully. "Not only would it solve our problem, but we'd also be helping people in need."
"Yeah. It's like killing two birds with one stone," Fleur nodded.
Harry and Ron nodded as well, agreeing with the girls.
With that, the five of them practically approved my suggestion. Now all that remained was deciding how we would do it.
Sirius, who had been merely observing until then, reentered the conversation:
"Well, the decision is yours, but I'd like to say that I also think your idea is excellent, Ethan."
"And if you need help with that, I know a few good and trustworthy institutions. I can give you their contacts," he offered.
"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were so involved in the charity world."
"Oh, well, I actually make regular donations to those charities," he shrugged. "I usually donate clothes, food, and a few hundred Galleons every month."
"You?" I blinked, genuinely surprised. "I didn't imagine you were that kind of person."
Sirius felt his eye twitch.
"You know, Ethan... not everything you think needs to be said out loud," he muttered.
"My bad," I said, giving him an apologetic smile. "What I meant is that you never mentioned or showed that you did something like this before. That's why I was surprised."
"I never talked about it because I didn't think it was necessary or important," he replied simply.
"But you know, in a way, you are right," he continued. "If this were years ago, I really wouldn't have done something like this... not unless I was forced to or had a very good reason."
He crossed his arms.
"But the situation is different now... I am the head of the Black Family."
"I have more gold in my Gringotts vault than I know how to spend, so making a few donations doesn't hurt me in the slightest."
"Wow, what a terrible problem..." Ron muttered, rolling his eyes.
'Back then, I thought Malfoy was a spoiled, insufferable rich brat… but compared to the truly wealthy people I now call friends, he's practically middle class.'
Ignoring the redhead's muttering — and unaware of what he was thinking — Sirius continued:
"Ahem, as I was saying... with all that money, I could have spent it on a lot of nonsense and luxurious items, but that doesn't suit me."
"Then one afternoon at Grimmauld Place, while I was reviewing my assets, a brilliant idea occurred to me."
"Since my dear family always valued appearances and their dignified 'nobility' so much, what better way to honor them than by donating part of our fortune to the poor and the needy?"
As he said that, Sirius couldn't stop a mischievous smile from forming on his face.
"Heh, and I'm sure irritating your lovely mother has absolutely nothing to do with your decision, right?" I asked with a sarcastic smile.
"Well... that's just an additional benefit," he replied shamelessly.
Sighing, I shook my head. "You really are something else, Sirius."
"I'll take that as a compliment," he said, his grin widening even further.
Seeing his smug and proud expression, I could only snort.
"Alright, let's get back to what actually matters before this overgrown child gets any more arrogant," I said, earning a disdainful look from Sirius.
Ignoring it, I turned to the five young witches and wizards in the room.
"Well, since everything is already decided among us, I'd like to suggest that we leave the money in Sirius's hands," I began, naturally assuming the role of leader.
"He already knows which charities are the best, and he's familiar with all the necessary procedures. So I think it would be better and more practical for him to make the donations in our names."
"I don't have a problem with that," Fleur shrugged.
"Neither do I," Harry said.
Even after Harry's earlier words, Luna, Hermione, and Ron still believed the prize belonged solely to the three of us, so they felt they had no real say in what should be done with it.
Even so, they agreed.
With everyone accepting my suggestion, Harry handed the pouch to Sirius again — this time for good.
Taking it, Sirius slipped it back into his pocket.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," he promised seriously. "I'll make sure this task is carried out properly and as quickly as possible."
"Good boy," I said, patting his shoulder. "That proves all the time I spent training you was truly worthwhile."
"Haha... Hilarious," the old dog looked at me dryly.
Watching our exchange, Fleur and Hermione let out soft snorts, covering their mouths to suppress their laughter.
Harry and Ron, on the other hand, were far less restrained, laughing openly.
And Luna, completely unaware that I was mocking Sirius, walked up to him.
Imitating me, she gave his shoulder a few gentle pats as well.
"Good boy... good boy..." she said, genuinely praising him.
Her innocence and sincerity only made Sirius's face grow even gloomier.
'I'm regretting coming here,' he thought bitterly.
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After everything had been settled, we went back to enjoying our free day in the Room of Requirement.
Harry and Ron were training their reflexes, dodging and defending themselves against the iron spheres. Meanwhile, Hermione and Fleur were practicing some new spells they had learned on the training dummies.
Luna sat comfortably in an armchair, watching them while savoring a delicious strawberry mousse she had requested from the house-elves.
As for me, I stood slightly apart, seemingly observing them in silence.
Seemingly, because in truth I wasn't paying attention at all. My mind was elsewhere.
I found myself replaying our earlier conversation… or more specifically, my own suggestion.
When I proposed donating the prize money to charity, my intentions were not entirely pure.
From the beginning, I had thought of it as a carefully calculated strategy. A simple and direct way to gain the people's sympathy.
If word spread that I hadn't kept the thousand Galleons for myself but had donated them insteas, my image would change in their eyes.
They would see me as kind, generous and altruistic — a young wizard who truly cared for his people. The kind of person everyone instinctively trusts.
That would easily increase my popularity and, consequently, my influence.
That way, when I needed to deliver a message to the public — like I did at the Quidditch pitch — my voice would carry more weight, and people would listen me more carefully and more seriously.
Of course, I wouldn't be on the same level as Headmaster Dumbledore... but I would certainly no longer be seen as merely a "talented young wizard."
The only uncomfortable part of all this was that, deep down, I would be manipulating people's emotions.
I would be using their goodwill as a tool for my own benefit.
That made me sound like one of the manipulative and treacherous politicians I so despised.
But unfortunately, given the state of the wizarding world, I didn't have many choices.
This was the only way to secure influence. And in this world, influence was power.
And when chaos inevitably began, I could use that power to intervene.
I could prevent further casualties or stop disastrous situations during the war.
So in the end, I might feel a trace of remorse for doing this — but I did not regret it.
For a greater chance to protect those I loved, I would do anything... even become the very thing I hated most.
End.
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